Electrical contractors can benefit from the arsenal of software tools and other technologies that help their workers perform better and their businesses’ bottom line. Apps, cloud-based applications and embedded algorithms...

Electrical contractors use technology to locate obsolete spare parts, build RFPs, communicate with mobile workers on a job site, manage a building with a distributed network of internet of things sensors and many other things...

Every construction company—no matter its size or specialty—depends on computers and the software installed on the machines. Computing manages office operations, finances, company assets, field operations—everything. If you...

Facing tight budgets, an aging workforce and increasingly stringent safety standards, building managers are looking to third parties for electrical safety maintenance solutions. That means electrical contractors, who...

The cloud, the cloud, the cloud. It seems everyone wants us to work in the cloud. It has been about three years since I last wrote on this subject, so it’s time for some updates. My evolution My use of the cloud has increased...

Clearly, using tracking software that records tools as they are checked out and returned is easier than manually recording or using spreadsheets. Simple tool tracking has become asset management. For equipment, applications...

Mobile apps provide users with similar services to those available on computers for quick, easy access anywhere on smartphones and tablets. Below, electrical contractors from across the country discuss a range of popular apps...

Congratulations! Since you are reading this column, you are most likely employed as a professional in the electrical construction industry. If you’re a seasoned veteran, you already know a lot. If you’ve just gotten started...

As construction becomes more high-tech, contractors can choose from an array of software and apps that claim to boost revenue, satisfy customers and increase efficiency. Selecting solutions means researching the options and...

This month, we complete the takeoff spreadsheet. We left off last month having typed in some text. Let’s do a little formatting now. Most formatting is done by highlighting a cell or range of cells, then left-clicking on a...

Last month, I covered a few spreadsheet basics. This month, let’s see what we can do with a spreadsheet, a few formulas and some formatting. Spreadsheets have many formatting tools, which enable you to recreate almost any...

I have been using spreadsheet software since the early 1980s, when VisiCalc was available for the Apple II computer. The company I was working for purchased the McCormick Estimating System, which was delivered with a new...

Networked lighting controls are intelligent (computing-based) and programmable systems in which devices communicate to enact control strategies. Each control point in the network has a unique address, which can be assigned...

Every month, we pick the top Ideas That Work submitted by you, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR readers. These ideas can't be found in any code or guidebook and are only learned or devised through years of experience and thinking,...

A new piece of software developed by students will make streetlight outage detection a lot easier and faster for the City of Las Vegas. The "Smart Cities Hackathon" at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, sponsored by the City...

For electrical contracting companies that have many large, complex projects underway at the same time, construction management software is the key to making everything go smoothly and to completing each job on schedule and...

Vendors strive to identify and meet the needs of ECs: There is a head-spinning amount of software options for electrical contractors today ranging from estimating to automating to integration of all facets of a very large...